Speculative Fiction—an all-encompassing genre created to describe stories of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and other stories that have an element of “What if...” in them. A story in speculative fiction is one that adds an element of the unreal, or asks, what would become of our society if history took a different direction at some important event? Fiction with a little something extra thrown in.—William D. Richards

Pages

Sunday, January 31, 2016

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So
what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of
speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though
some December books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The
books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links
only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future
editions.

The
acclaimed post-apocalyptic saga continues as our two heroes continue
their journey, but it soon becomes clear that the odds are against them.
Will they reach the Facility and find the answers they need?

Fiona
Wilde has always lived up to her last name, but a night in the
emergency room was more than she bargained for. Now six months clean and
sober, she's thrown herself back into the only job she feels qualified
for—guarding the emerging stars of L.A. from the demonic Glowers—while
getting the rush she craves from casual encounters, always leaving
before anyone can leave her. When her teen TV star client's hot older
brother Will arrives home for spring break, she sees the perfect
opportunity for a fling with a built-in end date.

Then the Glowers
launch an unexpected attack, leaving Fiona scrambling to keep her
client safe even as Will steals past the walls around her heart. With
the demons closing in and the starlet rebelling, the stability Fiona has
clung to is slipping away. Her growing connection with Will might be
the thing that saves her—or the thing that tears her apart.

The second book in The Glower Chronicles, a steamy New Adult paranormal series.

Each
book in The Glower Chronicles contains a stand-alone romance, but it is
recommended that you read them in order to best appreciate the ongoing
subplots.

The
Temporal Response Unit (TRU) has one purpose: find time travelers and
stop them in their tracks. It's not because there is a timeline to
protect, for the future is unwritten. The time travelers can't change
their past, but their actions impact our future in ways we can only
guess.

TRU Agent Lucas Weiss is on his first case, charged with
finding the time traveler and stopping him. Within an hour of the time
traveler’s arrival, the town has its first murder of the year. On the
eve of announcing a new cancer miracle drug, the victim is none other
than prominent Leomins BioTech cancer researcher Dr. Lowe.

Finding
the time traveler and learning his motives will require more ingenuity
and know-how than Weiss may be prepared for, especially when the clues
lead him to an even more elaborate scheme with far more operatives at
play. As the TRU team searches, a showdown begins with potentially
devastating consequences.

Wit Fallo, a white gnome, is a shiftless and lazy boat captain who loves money, but hates working.
The
boat captain thinks he is presented with an opportunity of a life time
to live the free and easy life when a drug kingpin hires him to be part
of his narcotics trafficking operation. All Wit has to do is a four or
five drug smuggling runs a week between three islands in the Brown
Triangle on the Earth Realm, and in no time he would have more than
enough money to do whatever he wanted without any worries or
consequences.
Unfortunately, things do not work out as well as Wit
hoped when three of the drug kingpin’s more senior people are killed in
his office and he is the only survivor.

Instead of seeking
revenge, the drug kingpin decides to retire and sells his narcotics
trafficking network to Tom Bolden, a halfling, and crime lord based in
the Fairy Realm.

Wit realizes with the retirement of the drug
kingpin that the possibility of the free and easy life will not become a
reality, and he will remain a boat captain in the Brown Triangle.

Tom
Bolden, however, has other plans for the white gnome. Tom paid a lot of
money to acquire the narcotics trafficking network, and someone has to
pay him back. Wit is the person who has to pay Tom back because of what
happened in his office.

Wit has no choice but to agree to become a messenger and enforcer for Tom as a way to pay him back.
The problem is Wit is ill-equipped and does not have the necessary skills and talent to be of any use for Tom.
The
even bigger problem for Wit is despises living in the Fairy Realm
because everything is based on magic. He hates magic. Pixies, brownies,
fairies, and other types of fairy folk because they are made of magic
and use magic. He hates pixies, brownies, fairies, and the rest of the
fairy folk because of their connection to magic. Wit, unfortunately, has
to work these fairy folk because they are trusted members of Tom
Bolden’s organization.

The biggest problem for Wit, even with how
he hates living in the Fairy Realm, is he still has to pay the money he
owes Tom Bolden.

Nathan’s
been crushing on one of his regular Bulk Mart customers for a while
now. In squirrel form, he sits on Vince’s bird feeders, munching on
seeds and enjoying the eye candy. Until the day Vince notices him
raiding the feeder…

That
is the question that twenty-six year old Tibby Holloway is asking
herself. After a long night of eating too much ice cream and going over
all her missed chances, she's surprised by a visitor. A free-lancing
djinn who makes her the offer of a lifetime. He'll give her three
chances, three wishes, to go back and change her life. She can change
her career, find the man she loves.That could be a problem as there's at
least two in the "man she loves" category.

There's also a catch. A Really Big Catch.

She
can't stay in any of these new lives her wishes create. Once she's gone
back three times, the djinn will decide where she ends up. He's firm on
this - she'll have no say in the matter. After deciding which points in
her life she wants to do over, she must then decide if it's worth
risking all she may achieve. Because to find out what might have been,
she has to give up all control over what will be. Would it be better to
not even know?

A captive prince. A desperate princess. An alliance that will shake the foundations of an empire.

In
the wake of battle, Kendryk finds himself the prisoner of Empress
Teodora. As war ravages Terragand, Kendryk’s guilt is matched only by
his fear that he will never see his family again. Gwynneth, in
possession of a valuable captive but sworn to keep him close, faces
Teodora’s wrath as she waits in anguish for relief.
But when Gwynneth’s rescue comes, the empire will never be the same again.

A
tide of religious upheaval sweeps across the land, bearing men and
women toward their fates. The delicate joy shared by Janna and Braeden
will be shattered; the king of a neighboring kingdom will walk the edge
of madness; and an oath of vengeance will bind three unlikely allies
together in a desperate attempt to curb Teodora’s ambitions once and for
all.

The Desolate Empire, Christina Ochs’ epic fantasy series, continues in Book 2:Valley of the Shadow.

Last
night he was torn between saving the lost children, and selfishness,
ignoring everything and racing back to Emily, to Sam, but none of that
matters now.

He's infected and isn't ever going to see his friends again, his reason, his love.

But
now, in his last days, Fate has given him one final chance at
redemption; to get Jem and Pixie somewhere safe before the fever comes,
before the black-eyed sickness comes - before he comes for them.

A
barren land of salt and snow; a castle where underground paths twist
and turn in endless circles and a reclusive king has not shown his face
in years; a forest where few things are what they seem. An unnamed hero
must navigate through these places as he takes on the task of tracking
down a supposed witch, in a story that blends dream and reality, rumor
and truth, danger and hope.

Twenty-six
brilliant speculative fiction stories about love, and the pain that so
often accompanies it. Enjoy a cornucopia of imaginative tales, wondrous
settings, and unforgettable characters—such as the disillusioned time
traveler who visits ancient Japan to experience a “Moment of Zen,” the
young woman from planet Kiruna who can only communicate in song when the
moonlet Saarakka is up, and the sorcerer who loses their happiness in a
bet with a demon.

Rich and wonderfully diverse, this collection
spans many speculative fiction genres: from SciFi to Dystopian, from
Fantasy to Magical Realism, from Steampunk to Superhero, from Horror to
Weird. Sometimes funny, occasionally happy, frequently
gut-wrenching—these stories will take your heart on a wild emotional
ride.

"After
exploding with rage and injuring some Caliphate marines, Tanner is sent
to the Barony Hospital ship on a ninety day observation to see if he's
really sane. At the same time, he is challenged by his doctors and
psychiatrist to see if he can defeat his alcohol addiction and to combat
his PTSD too.

Also on the ship is the Barony Secure labs where
the research teams are trying to find the Ikarian virus vaccine to give
longevity to the RIM—and the Baroness is interested in their success.

While
the Caliphate continues to try to find a way to steal the vaccine, they
end up using a vacjumper—someone who can go right out into outer space
with no suit and attempt to break into the lab that way.

Called on
to forget about his illness, Tanner must rise to heed the call to
defeat the vacjumper and to do that he must jump out into space on his
own. Death, virus vaccines and love all play a part for him and his
quest…"

Corona
is besieged. Princess Ameliora can see her enemies gather beyond the
walls. It has been many years since Ameliora abandoned the
Captain-Generalcy of the Corona Firstborn, years since she donned her
armour or took up her sword. Now, with all the warriors dead and the
city gripped by terror, the aged warrior must take up arms and armour
one last time, and usher an age of heroes to its close.

With
Aydia lurching ever closer to a general war, old loyalties are being
stretched to the breaking point, even while radical new allegiances are
taking shape.

Now on the run together, Rayson and Saira
desperately strive to form a coalition opposing the dark forces sweeping
their planet. Forced to work directly with both the Kax and the
Alliance governments, the two former lovers must also finally
acknowledge the scandal of their high-profile past.

Meanwhile, the
details of that history continue to assert themselves. Fifteen years
before, the Save Saira movement nearly destroyed the young Srendian. How
can Saira possibly hold everyone at bay, even as the most damning
fallout from her innocent college liaison remains secret?

Fusion is the second book in The Aydian Series, with the story picking up right where it left off at the end of Aydia.

Gen
was angry and she knew it. Angry about her overprotective parents,
angry about the way she was teased about her height, and angry about the
dirt and grime that infested every corner of Mars. But soon, she'd be
on rotations. Too few went Outside on purpose anymore, just to shiver
against the icy cold or feel the pressure in the slowly thickening air.
But an ancient prophecy of destruction came to her in haunting visions,
and now it's up to Gen to warn them all - and maybe even save worlds.

In
the not-so-distant future, the rise of terrorism leads to a new and
chilling subjugation of women. But as civilization breaks down, one
wealthy woman builds a massive, walled-in enclave, and outfits it with
the technology to be completely self-sustaining.

Her sole
stipulation: only women are allowed in. Within the enclave walls, these
women—Vestals—lead lives of culture and ease, free of the burden of
husbands and children. Outside the walls, men have devolved into feral,
violent Brutes roaming the surrounding wilderness. The Vestals need them
for one purpose only—to reproduce themselves.

But Menna, a
beautiful Vestal scientist in charge of breeding, makes a disastrous
mistake while extracting one captured Brute's seed. Disturbing
interactions with him shatter her preconceptions of Brutes, and her
image of herself. Ultimately, she is forced to choose between her
comfortable, sterile existence and a harsh, brutish unknown.

Powerful
and profound, Falling as She Sings is at once science fiction
adventure, spiritual thriller, and visionary love story. It's a
searching, funny commentary on the eternal, yet ever fresh and
compelling forces driving relationships between the sexes.

In
the city of Solantha, mages rule absolute, with shifters considered
second-class citizens and humans something in between. No one outside
the mage families are allowed to have magic, and anyone born with it
must agree to have it stripped from them to avoid execution.

Sunaya
Baine, a shifter-mage hybrid, has managed to keep her unruly magic
under wraps for the last twenty-four years. But while chasing down a
shifter-hunting serial killer, she loses control of her magic in front
of witnesses, drawing the attention of the dangerous and enigmatic Chief
Mage.

Locked up in the Chief Mage’s castle and reduced to little
more than a lab rat, Sunaya resists his attempts to analyze and control
her at every turn. But she soon realizes that to regain her freedom and
catch the killer, she must overcome her hatred of mages and win the most
powerful mage in the city to her side.

Magic
is awakening in the north and the Grand Protectorate retreats after its
bloody defeat at Srun. Sviska stands with the Island Nation against the
evils of The Order and the Itsu Priest as the allies of magic make
plans for their push against the capital city of their enemy. But all is
not as it seems.

The Itsu Priest is tightening his grip on the
legions of the north changing them from men to unholy beasts. The Saints
of Wura must move quickly to save Garoa's daughter from his evil
clutches but some fear she could already be dead. Furthermore, hundreds
have been kidnapped as sacrifices for a dark ritual and the time for the
incantation draws near.

Sviska is moving closer to unlocking the
powers of his Dwemhar ancestry but as the blood curse ensnares his mind,
he can only pray he is powerful enough to resist the will of The Order.

He
made a stand against a dark evil in the icy mountains of Elinathrond
but now his life, and that of those he has grown to call friends, may be
forfeit.

Friday, January 29, 2016

Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from
around the web, this week with yet more Star Warsdiscussion, tributes to David G. Hartwell and discussion about the the TV shows Agent Carter, Legends of Tomorrow, Lucifer, The Magicians and the revived X-Files.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

About Reckoning in the Void:

The world falls towards darkness.

Magic is awakening in
the north and the Grand Protectorate retreats after its bloody defeat at
Srun. Sviska stands with the Island Nation against the evils of The
Order and the Itsu Priest as the allies of magic make plans for their
push against the capital city of their enemy. But all is not as it
seems.

The Itsu Priest is tightening his grip on the legions of
the north changing them from men to unholy beasts. The Saints of Wura
must move quickly to save Garoa's daughter from his evil clutches but
some fear she could already be dead. Furthermore, hundreds have been
kidnapped as sacrifices for a dark ritual and the time for the
incantation draws near.

Sviska is moving closer to unlocking the
powers of his Dwemhar ancestry but as the blood curse ensnares his mind,
he can only pray he is powerful enough to resist the will of The Order.

He
made a stand against a dark evil in the icy mountains of Elinathrond
but now his life, and that of those he has grown to call friends, may be
forfeit.

Excerpt:

“What of the
fleet?”

“Tulasiro will go
to them with speed as soon as we began, she will lead them in and we will jump
onto my boat as it enters behind the flag ships. We only need to hold the gate
for the ships to arrive. Was their any word from Brethor and the allies of
Taria?”

“No.”

“Then we will
assume they will not come. It is up to us, Saint of Wura.”

They were entering
shallower water. Tulasiro’s horn was visible, a glistening sight with water
splashing over it. The bridge was ahead and two lone guards stood near the
center with torches behind them.

Sviska did not
know if it was the sliding of Kealin’s blades from their sheaths or the sound
of the narwhal, but the two men turned to see the form of the half-elf flying
between them, his daggers cutting each of their throats. The bodies fell from
the bridge, spilling their blood in the water.

Kealin landed back
in the boat, his daggers held reversed against his forearms. He knelt down,
“Prepare for our blade work.”

Sviska slid Sishan
from his sheath and held it ready. Tulasiro had hit deeper water again and
thundered underneath them picking up speed even as they began to see the
torches along the walls of Lokam. Sviska spotted the river gate and a dock to
the right of it. The dock was not very big, enough for one or two ships, but it
was obvious it was no port. There were four legionnaires and none of them
looked towards them. Any other night than this it would not have been such a
folly.

The boat banked to
the left of the river, skidding the riverbank before Tulasiro surged forward
again. She seemed to aim her horn towards those on the dock. She turned to the
right, leaving the mouthpiece she used to pull the ship behind. She dove
underneath the water just before she exploded back out, striking the men on the
dock, crushing two of them. Two others fell into the water. The narwhal rolled
into the water crushing one before throwing the other away and then driving her
horn into his side. Flapping her tail, she propelled
herself back away from the gateway.

The boat slowed
and Kealin and Sviska leapt from it and ran along the docks towards the wall.
Above them, two guards pointed but Sviska threw his knives in quick succession,
silencing them. Kealin jumped for the gate, climbing straight up before leaping
off the metal and grasping two parts of the wall just below the level of the
crenelation. In a few more moments, Sviska saw him disappear over the top,
metallic clanging followed and a legionnaire flew off the wall.

About the Saints of Wura trilogy:

About J.T. Williams:

J.T. Williams is a fantasy author living in Texas with his wife
and five kids. It is here he writes new books when he isn't in his
backyard with his children having make-believe battles against the orcs
invading from next door. As a longtime lover of fantasy and the surreal,
he hopes you enjoy his contributions to the world of fantasy lore and
magic.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Happily Ever Alpha contains 14 alpha-male
romances plus 7 additional kick-ass paranormal romance tales bundled together
in one of the steamiest collections to date! Come join sexy shifters, hot
vampires, wickedly cool witches, vampires, gargoyles, demons, psychics, and so
much more. With 21 novels and novellas and over one million seductive words of
fiction, this paranormal romance boxed set will leave you Happily Ever Alpha.

About
the included titles:

NY Times Bestselling Author Sarah Makela - The
Witch Who Cried Wolf

When reluctant witch Mia mixes up a potion,
she must protect herself and her longtime crush, soldier Ethan Parker from dangerous
werewolves--but that's easier said than done when he becomes one of them.

NY Times Bestselling Author Michele
Bardsley - A Damned Deed

When Athena Davis is sent to bring in
murderer Adam Deed, the gorgeous target is not what she bargained for.

Amazon Bestselling Author Sylvia Frost - The
BBW and the Prince

A Shifter Retelling of Cinderella. Cynthia
Cinders gives her wolf the slip, only to realize she's also given him the
slipper. Can he use it to capture her and stake his claim on the curvy beauty?

USA Today Bestselling Author JC Andrijeski
- Black In White

Police profiler Miri Fox gets pulled in by
sexy and mysterious Quentin Black, who embroils her in a game of cat and mouse
with a deadly killer--who might just be Black himself.

Amazon Bestselling Author Steffanie Holmes
- Witch Hunter

Centuries ago a curse was placed on Ada's
family. Now she must sleep with a man--any man--but the battle-scarred witch
hunter who comes to her is as dangerous as he is handsome.

A Sexy Beauty and the Beast Spin Off. It's
not until a missing girl is found chained up in Abram's home that this beauty
realizes her romantic interest is a beast.

Amazon Bestselling Author Elle Thorne - Forbidden

White tiger shifter Rafe Tiero just thought
he had it bad for his brother's woman--until a potty-mouthed, funky-nailed
barista called Jax got under his skin.

Amazon Bestselling Author Alexia Purdy - Ardent

Vengeance is the only thing worth dying for
in the supernatural city of Temple.

Amazon Bestselling Author Ambrielle Kirk - Wolf's
Desire

Aiden's urge to protect a grieving widow is
just as great as his desire to claim her as his mate, but can their love
transcend a tragedy?

Amazon Bestselling Author Amy Lee Burgess -
Heart of Stone

Being a gargoyle is easy, but it takes
Brendan's love to show Deanna how to be human.

Amazon Bestselling Author Angel Lawson - Creature
of Habit

Grant Palmer, Amelia Chase's new employer,
is a man of many secrets--who spends his nights patrolling his city to protect
residents from rogue vampires.

Amazon Bestselling Author Rozlyn Sparks - One
Night With A Vampire

Whisked away to a vampire-run Brothel in
Pahrump, Nevada, Daphne is in for a night of fun to exorcise her demons of
boyfriends gone bad.

Amazon Bestselling Author Tasha Black - Hounded

This dog is about to have his day. Dulcie
Alette, an empath with a knack for solving mysteries, is drawn to bad boy
dog-shifter Van Blanco, a drop-dead gorgeous fighter who has just become the
top suspect in an unusual murder.

Amazon Bestselling Author Kim Faulks - Beast

"Don't bother. It's locked. There's no
way out of here." Trapped in a nightmare filled with lust and betrayal,
there's a beast, and he's waiting for her.

Amazon Bestselling Author Katie de Long - Inkubus

When a working incubus discovers his mark
can see him outside dreams, he must choose between love and survival.

Amazon Bestselling Author April Aasheim -
The Witches of Dark Root

When Maggie left the enchanted town of Dark
Root she thought she'd never come back. Will she embrace her witchy lineage or
run once again?

Amazon Bestselling Author Jesi Lea Ryan - Just
a Little Nudge

Stripper Marley Sexton has a gift--she
calls it a "nudge." A sexy psychic novella featuring a street-wise
stripper and a gadget-happy spy. Trouble ensues.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Today's interview is with John Hegenberger, author of series CROSSFIRE and STARFALL, who has taken up the challenge of answering our interview questions!

Apple or PC?I use about three PCs, depending on what room and stage I’m in.Do you use Scrivener or Word? Or another word-processing program? Or even pen and paper?I start with a pile of pencils and note pads. This creates my first draft which then gets typed into a computer, creating the second draft.Do you have any pets? Do they influence your writing?I have a cat who appears in in one way or another in both my private eye series. In CROSSFIRE, he’s a spy. In STARFALL, he’s part of an alternate history mystery. Would you rather see your stories on the big screen or the little screen? I believe episodic electronic would fit best with my SF tales.Are you hooked on any of the shows on the sci-fi channel? If so, which one(s)?The Expanse is the best science Fiction TV since Idonowhen.What is your view of Star Wars, and the latest episode (if seen)?Not bad for a start, but it’s only a start. Much, much more to come, right?What is your favourite Science Fiction (or Fantasy) film?I keep returning Back to the Future.Are you a Luddite? Or do you prefer to be on the bleeding edge of technology?I’m a leading edge Luddite.Are you--or have you ever been--a gamer?I learned long ago that the internet itself was one big game.Do you cook? What is your best/favorite/most popular recipe?Shrimp Scampi.Do you have a garden? Have you ever grown your own food?I tried to grow tomatoes this year, but got started too late and they never went beyond being green marbles.Have you ever been to Starbucks?Yes, it’s kinda hard not to, since they’re as omnipresent as telephone booths used to be.Would you prefer an independent bookshop, or a big chain?Independents are much, much more fun!Do you have your own office, study or writing space, or can you write in a cafe or the library?I have all three and write everywhere. I need a waterproof PC for use in the shower.Who do you consider are your major influences in writing?It changes from day to day, but now it’s Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick and H. Bedford Jones.What writer, living or dead, would you most like to meet?Raymond Chandler.If you could have any director to shoot the film of your book(s), who would you choose?It changes from day to day, but now it’s Sergio Leone, John Ford, George Lucas.How would you define Speculative Fiction?Clever and insightful free association breaking the mold outside the box.On a scale of 1-10, how eccentric are you?Twelve and three-quarters.Do you consider yourself a slave to the muse?I’m beginning to, but it might be insecurity or madness. Here’s a few recent examples:Here’s Stan Wade, L.A. PI, in the first of a series of six “noirstalgia” novels from 1959. SPYFALL is your E-ticket to a nuclear threat hidden from the public until 2012. The insightful tale teams Ian Fleming of MI6, Walt Disney of the FBI, and a hard-luck private eye searching his past for truth, justice and… well, you know. With appearances by Karloff, Steinbeck, Cohen and Flynn, SPYFALL is a rollicking ride into a past that never was… or was it? The Secret Behind SPYFALLHere’s the facts behind the fiction of SPYFALL.TOP SECRET until 2012If you liked SPYFALL, catch a new adventure of Stan Wade LAPI where he meets Rod Serling in Tales From the Otherverse.

About John Hegenberger:

Born and raised in the heart of the heartland, Columbus, Ohio, John Hegenberger is the author of several series: Stan Wade LAPI in 1959, Eliot Cross Columbus-based PI in 1988, and Ace Hart, western gambler in Arizona in 1873. He’s the father of three, tennis enthusiast, collector of silent films and OTR, hiker, Francophile, B.A. Comparative Lit., Pop culture author, ex-Navy, ex-marketing exec at Exxon, AT&T, and IBM, happily married for 45 years and counting. Active member of SFWA, PWA and ITW.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from
around the web, this week with yet more Star Warsdiscussion as well as tributes to David Bowie, Alan Rickman and David G. Hartwell and discussion about the the TV shows Agent Carter, Legends of Tomorrow, The Expanse, Colony and the revived X-Files.

About the Speculative Fiction Showcase

We are a blog about all things indie science fiction, fantasy and horror. Read interviews with and guest posts by spec fic writers and keep current on news from the SFF world and the latest spec-fic releases.